Most healthy women receive two ultrasound scans during pregnancy. Search Submit Search. Find a Doctor. Sign up now. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call Ultrasounds can provide your doctor with lots of valuable information—for example, they can monitor your baby's growth, detect abnormalities, predict your due date, determine whether you're carrying multiples , show the position of your placenta, and indicate the sex of your baby.
To prepare you for these important scans, we broke down the most common types of pregnancy ultrasounds week by week and when you should expect them.
Your first ultrasound , also known as a baby sonogram, might take place when you're six to eight weeks pregnant. But not every woman will get this scan; some doctors only conduct it for certain high-risk pregnancy conditions like bleeding, abdominal pain, and history of birth defects or miscarriage. An early pregnancy ultrasound may be done transgvaginally so doctors get a clearer picture of your baby.
In this case, the OB-GYN will place a thin wand-like transducer probe—which transmits high-frequency sound waves through your uterus—into your vagina.
The sound waves bounce off the fetus and send signals back to a machine that converts these reflections into a black and white image of your baby. At six weeks' gestation, it's possible to see the baby's heartbeat. Your practitioner will also predict your baby's due date, track milestones, determine the number of babies in the womb, and see whether you have an ectopic pregnancy. Those who forgo the six to eight week ultrasound might have a "dating ultrasound" around weeks 10 to 13 of pregnancy.
This gives parents the same type of information: due date, your baby's "crown-rump length" measurement from head to bottom , the number of babies in the womb, and fetal heartbeat. Between 14 and 20 weeks, you may also have a nuchal translucency NT test to check for Down syndrome, heart defects, or other chromosomal abnormalities, says Joanne Stone, M.
Women should consider getting it if their screening test revealed a potential problem, they're 35 or older, or they have a family history of certain birth defects. In a nuchal translucency screening, the doctor will use an ultrasound to gauge the thickness at the back of the baby's neck they'll also measure hormones and proteins with a blood test.
A thicker neck may indicate an increased risk for birth defects like Down syndrome and trisomy You will enjoy the new routine in your life.
This joinery is filled with many excitement; the excitement of knowing when your baby is going to arrive, the excitement to hear your baby's heartbeat for the first time, excitement when the baby kicks for the first time to say, "hello mommy! For a healthy and enjoyable pregnancy, following the prenatal check up and testing schedule is crucial. Let it be the regular pregnancy check up visit or doing several pregnancy ultrasound scans to check the health of the baby, it is important to follow the schedule for your and your growing baby's health.
This article covers details about the pregnancy check up schedule, pregnancy appointment timeline, the type of pregnancy ultrasound scans and its schedule.
Pregnancy check up schedule Your relations with the doctor plays an important role during your pregnancy. Let it be sharing your experiences, asking for advice or knowing more about how your baby is doing, she is the one who has answers to all your questions. This relation will grow as your baby grows in your tummy. Your visits to the clinic will also grow along. For the healthy pregnancy, you will visit the clinic for a regular pregnancy check up.
Following is the pregnancy check up schedule and timeline :. Weeks 4 to 28 1 prenatal check up visit a month. Weeks 28 to 36 1 prenatal check up visit every 2 weeks. Weeks 36 to 40 1 prenatal check up visit every week. This is the typical pregnancy check up schedule to be followed. You may need to do more visits based on how you and your baby is doing. Be sure to stick to the check up schedule that has been suggested to you. Prenatal care is important for both your and your baby's health.
In fact, when a mother doesn't get prenatal care, her baby is three times more likely to have a low birth weight. Sometimes, life may feel hectic, but remember that your baby's health depends on this. You will forget all the hard work and will feel proud when you will hold your healthy baby in your arms.
So be positive and motivated, follow the schedule and timeline suggested to you. Following is the week-by-week schedule for the prenatal check up and required ultrasound scans during pregnancy.
Your first prenatal check up visit should be immediately when you got to know about your pregnancy. During your first prenatal or antenatal visit, your medical history will be recorded, and a general health check up will be done. Your blood pressure, weight, and height will be recorded to calculate your body mass index BMI. The systemic examination will be done to rule out any preexisting heart or respiratory related problems. For a healthy baby, you will be advised on early pregnancy tips , diet, and lifestyle you need to follow during your pregnancy.
There are few medications to be taken during this period. Folic acid is an important vitamin supplement and it is highly recommended to take folic acid supplements during your first trimester 3 months to prevent neural tube defects in the baby. You may experience some early pregnancy symptoms like nausea or vomiting during this period.
If required, an appropriate medication will be prescribed. It is recommended to have your first pregnancy ultrasound scan between 6 to 9 weeks. Although you don't need a scan to confirm your pregnancy, the dating, and viability ultrasound scan help in many other aspects. It checks if your baby is at the right place or not, it finds the accurate due date, determines the reason for any spotting or bleeding, and show how many babies you are carrying.
Hearing your baby's heartbeat for the first time is the most exciting part of this pregnancy ultrasound scan. You will go through many blood and urine test during this period. The blood tests will identify your blood group, Rhesus status, Hemoglobin, thyroid function. You'll also get blood tests for infections, such as hepatitis B, HIV, syphilis and possibly the blood disorder thalassaemia.
Blood sugar testing either random sugar level or fasting and postprandial or OGCT will be done to check for your diabetic status. A urine test will be for traces of protein, which can be a sign of pre-eclampsia, and for a urine infection called asymptomatic bacteriuria ASB , which can increase your risk of giving birth too early.
Overall, your first prenatal visit is an important milestone for having a happy and healthy pregnancy. Give a special attention to you and your baby during this period. During 11 to 13 weeks of pregnancy, a regular blood pressure check up and weight are measured. During pregnancy, a weight gain of around 11 to 16 kg is considered good for person with normal BMI pregnancy BMI - The amount of weight gain will help to understand the growth of the baby.
Generally, iron and calcium supplements will be also started between 11 to 13 weeks. Pregnancy ultrasound scan called Nuchal Translucency NT scan is the most important part during 11 to 13 weeks check up timeline. The nuchal translucency scan measures the thickness of this fluid to assess the risk of Down's syndrome.
The scan looks at and measures the thickness of your baby's nuchal fold, a fold of skin on the back of your baby's neck. Amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling are both examples of diagnostic tests used during pregnancy. Amniocentesis is only performed on women thought to be at higher risk of delivering a child with a birth defect.
Amniocentesis is a test that may be done during pregnancy more safely after 15 weeks to check for foetal abnormalities birth defects such as Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis or spina bifida. A thin needle is used to take a small amount of amniotic fluid from the sac in the uterus surrounding a foetus. Possible risks include infection or injury to the baby. There is also a very small risk of amniocentesis causing a miscarriage 1 in every For more information see the Pregnancy tests — amniocentesis fact sheet.
Chorionic villus sampling CVS is a test that may be done during pregnancy more safely from 11 to 14 weeks to check the baby for some genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome or cystic fibrosis. A doctor takes a small sample of the placenta via needle and it is examined in a laboratory. CVS carries a small risk of miscarriage 1 in every For more information see the Pregnancy tests — chorionic villus sampling fact sheet.
Some abortion services in Victoria offer reduced fees to students, healthcare card holders and those experiencing financial difficulty. In Victoria, you can have two types of abortion: surgical and medication.
Both types are safe and reliable. You can have a medication abortion up to nine weeks of pregnancy. You can have a surgical abortion from around six weeks of pregnancy onwards. Mifepristone, also called RU or the 'abortion pill', is used to terminate end a pregnancy up to nine weeks. Abortion is one of the most common and safest types of surgery in Australia. Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional.
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